Saw the CRS, will be scheduling my LIS surgery tomorrow, for hopefully a very soon date! But, I already missed this past Friday at work because I was very constipated which badly flared up my fissure. I'm back on my fiber and stool softeners and BM's have been smooth, but they still make me very sore. It's easy at home here, I can jump in the sitz bath after a BM for relief, but what about tomorrow at work after I go? How can I deal with the extreme soreness/burning while sitting at work all day? I cannot afford to miss anymore time at work, and this surgery can't come quick enough, I can't wait to have it done. But what do you guys do for temporary relief in the meantime? I mean I just want to be able to bear it and be able to go to work prior to my surgery and not be in so much pain during the daytime. Anything you guys, even those who had the surgery... what did you apply for temporary relief of the pain just to deal with everyday life?

Hi FP,
I didn't work with my fissure. Most of my days and nights were spent in baths or on a heating pad. I often wondered how the hek anyone works with the pain that I was feeling.
I know if I would have had a job, I probably would have been fired after 8 months of my problems. I had spasms 24/7 and couldn't get any relief.
I hope others will give you some ideas as to what may help until you get your surgery. I'm totally clueless and just pretty much had to live with it until my surgery.

I kind of have a rhythm I have perfected over the years. I get out of bed, eat breakfast(Steel cut oats) with my 1/2 cup of coffee which gets my system rolling for the day. The goal for me is to be done with the bathroom(BM's) before leaving the house. This allows me to get the area very clean. My pain has always been somewhat tied to my ability of getting the area clean. When I had my surgeries I would go to work a little later to ensure that I was done and could soak. I have no fixed work schedule so that was a plus during my worst fissure days.
If I do have a BM at work then I use some moist wipes I bring. At work we buy cheap TP and it is like sand paper.
For pain, Advil was my friend. I would usually take 2 gel tablets in the morning. That always took the edge off the pain. I can't use Advil now, so I just deal with the pain since Tylenol is worthless for me.
For me work actually helps a lot in coping with my ongoing butt issues. I work a intellectually demanding job so as I get immersed in my work I tend not to focus on the pain. For me, lying around has always made things worse since I would just focus on the pain - hard not too.
Good luck. I hope you are able to get a surgery date soon.

You know, it's so funny that you mentioned that! It's the exact plan I had last night for this morning, and it was executed perfectly! Because before, I'd get up and sitz bath first thing in the morning... then I'd eat breakfast and I'd have to go! It was horrible... almost like a pointless sitz bath earlier! This morning, first thing I went downstairs and ate a bowl of hot oats... by the time I went upstairs I had the urge to go... went, wiped, then right into the sitz bath! It worked out great! I'm sitting here at work now and the pain isn't so bad at the moment. I have my surgery scheduled for August 11th, and I cannot wait! Really looking forward to getting it done. I just need to deal with these next couple of weeks and really baby it up until that time, so that I can deal with sitting on my rear-end here at work all day.

Hi FP,
I had an LIS with fissurectomy and the pain after bowel movement for the first few days was truly bad. The best and most effecient remedy for this was a hot bath. It was the ONLY thing that could calm the pain, but it did it like a miracle. My suggestion would be to provoke a bowel movement with a glycerin suppository (it will also make your BM easier and less painful in itself. I really recommend these to take control of when, where, and how you have a BM) in the morning and hop in an already prepared hot bath right after. Then you can go to work with some expectation that you will not have one again for the next few hours. Just my opinion.

My advice for the next couple of weeks would be to go to Walmart and get a clay heating pad. If you have a microwave at work, you will be able to heat it up, and then sit on it for about an hour before it needs reheating. It felt SO soothing at work before I had my LIS (I'm a school teacher, and I spend a portion of the day sitting in chairs either at my desk doing paperwork, or at tables working with groups of students). The pad is pretty inexpensive -- about $10 or $12 for a smaller one. It is not wise to get an electric heating pad for sitting on -- that's pretty dangerous (it could burn you, for one thing). Go for the one filled with clay.